1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates generally to a battery system and specifically to a battery system for use in vehicles.
2. Description of the Related Art
In modern vehicles, a multiplicity of fittings emerge as consumers of electrical energy. The energy required usually is provided by a central energy source in the form of a battery. However, the respective consumers require very different input voltages. As a result, it is necessary to convert the voltage provided by the battery into the required voltages with the aid of a DC-DC converter. The more end consumers require energy, the greater the voltage provided by the central energy source needs to be. With higher energy consumption, the DC-DC converters also become larger, heavier and accordingly expensive. In addition, there is a reduced supply of charging options for directly charging high-voltage batteries, with the result that a large DC-DC converter would also be required for this.
US 2009/0079384 describes a charging system for a vehicle that changes over a bank of battery cells between a series connection for outputting voltage to a load, for example an engine, and a parallel connection for charging.
US 2012/0007557 describes a method for charging and discharging a battery-based power supply of an electric vehicle, in which a plurality of batteries are charged using a series connection to a quick-charging device and are connected to an electric vehicle in a parallel connection during discharging.
US 2012/0091731 describes a battery charging system that controls the arrangement of batteries that are arranged in battery banks, between a series connection during driving of an electrical load and a parallel connection during charging.
US 2012/0200242 describes a method for operating an electrical system in a vehicle having an internal combustion engine, in which two batteries of the same but opposing voltage are connected to a bipolar DC output in an electrical circuit, the center tap being grounded, and a three-phase generator being integrated in the circuit in order to control the electrical charge to the batteries.
US 2013/0127400 describes an electric vehicle having a high-voltage battery for driving the electric vehicle, a plurality of consumers and an auxiliary battery for providing drive current for the consumers that comprise a detection unit for a first voltage, a voltage converter, a power relay arrangement and a vehicle control unit.
The prior art results in the object of integrating a high-voltage battery in an automobile electrical system in an improved manner.